The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - 3 Stars

As the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has only a single remaining vacancy - posing a rooming predicament for two fresh arrivals - Sonny pursues his expansionist dream of opening a second hotel.

This movie was always going to do well, no matter what the critics said and that’s because of its powerhouse cast including Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Richard Gere and Bill Nighy. Well some people have canned this film and said it isn’t half as good as it predecessor in my opinion it is far better than the first film.

The script is full of laughs, but has some equally touching moments. It examines casually some clever themes of jealousy, betrayal, unrequited love and ultimately death, but the movie manages all this in a very light-hearted tone. The script writers should really be commended, as within minutes they had the (full) audience laughing then suddenly crying, they really knew how powerful, yet enjoyable the film was going to be.

Overall The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a clever funny film, with a powerhouse cast that still examines some sad themes in a light-hearted tone.